21 year old SMS bottlings...

For me, before Bourbon, there was Single Malt Scotch...
And while I have grown to enjoy collecting and drinking Bourbon much more than SMS, I still enjoy a quality dram of Scotch from time to time as well.

I really enjoy Aberlour 21, Balvenie Portwood 21 and Dalmore 21.
Fortunately, all three of these are still somewhat readily available to me at 'older' prices - which is the only reason I still drink them.

Curious if anyone has any favorite 21 year Single Malts they might recommend to go along with those listed above?
Have my eye on a Glenfarclas 21, but having never tasted any, don't want to chance that I might not like it. Cannot find any minis of Glenfarclas anywhere and so I defer to all-y'all.

Re: 21 year old SMS bottlings...

My favorite malts come from Islay with Ardbeg as my #3,#2 Caol Ila and mt #1 is Port Ellen which is closed years ago so the bottling of that whisky is minimal 20 years old.Glenfarclas is a good one but i don`t know if they have mini`s ,i have a look around here for you .Eric.

Re: 21 year old SMS bottlings...

t-p:

The availability of SMS differs somewhat between Europe and the US, i.e. I am not sure what you can find in your neck of the woods.

However, a great, underrated distillery is Benriach. They have a 21 yo called "Authenticus" which, for my money, is some of the best SMS you can get today. It is heavily peated, though, so if thatīs not your cuppa tea, I would recommend the "standard" 20yo Benriach. It is malty, slightly spicy and with moderate amounts of toffee.

The best whisky Iīve ever had was earlier bottlings of Springbank 21yo. Sadly, the distillery was mothballed during large parts of the 80īs, which means that you can only get it at exorbitant prices. Even without the price tag, I wouldnīt recommend it, since you cannot be sure what you get. The last bottle I had, just before it disappeared was disappointingly sub-par.

The Glenlivet 21yo used to be great but it was ages since I last tried one. It has received somewhat lukewarm reviews of lately, so I have refrained from investing.

Re: 21 year old SMS bottlings...

The only 21yo SMCW I've tried lately is the Glenlivet 21yo Archive. Victor over at Village Liquors sold it for $79. The release at Spec's runs about $110 or more. I like it a lot. Balanced in all areas. I don't drink a lot of scotch, but I've found myself reaching for this one when I do.

Re: 21 year old SMS bottlings...

tp -The 21 yo's you listed are very good, although the Aberlour 21 is very difficult to find anymore. By the way, have you tried any 17/18 yo's? If not, there are some very good scotch whiskies in the 17 and 18 yo range (and a bit more affordable). The Glenlivet 21 yo is very good. The Glenlivet 18 yo is, for me, excellent being not quite so dry with a little more range and character. If you like the fruitier and sweeter malts, the Auchentoshan 21 yo is very good and brings out the malt character in a nice way. The Glenfarclas 21 yo and 17 yo are both very good, having more of a sherry flavor present. The Glenfiddich 21 yo is nice but, for me, not quite as good as some of the others. For other 17/18 yo's, if you're willing to try a peatier scotch the Talisker 18 yo is excellent (one of my personal favorites, complexe and very smooth and only $55 cash at Spec's) and the Bowmore 17 yo is very good (but grab this one quick, it will soon be replaced by an 18 yo). Note that age tends to mellow and round out the peat some so that it doesn't seem to come on quite as strong as in the younger versions. The Highland Park 18 yo is also excellent, not quite as peaty but still robust with plenty of character and an underlying hint of sherry. The Macallan 18 yo is excellent with a very rich sherry flavor. Some other very good ones are the Glenmorangie 18 yo and Bruichladdich 17 yo (shown on packaging as XVII).

Re: 21 year old SMS bottlings...

Auchentoshan 21 is also very nice for a 21 year.

I had an older Glenlivet 21 Archive with a dark blue label which I loved and got it for $70. The new boxed Glenlivet 21 is a different label and comes in a nice box and retails for $100+. I assume it's the same whisky, but I haven't had the 'new' one yet.

Balv 21 portwood is one of my favs. I also have a Glenfarclas 25 and it's great. A nice, pure, clean single malt.

I typcially stay away from heavily peated Islay offerings, but I think I am in the minority of people that dislike that style.